LEAGUE CODE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 140, 14 June 1924, Page 19

LEAGUE CODE

lit "HALF BACK"!

GOOD GAMES LAST

SATURDAY

PETONE'S NARROW VICTORY

A good attendance at Petone, despite the adverse nature of the weather, saw Hutt and Petone meet in an interesting and fast game, and although undoubtedly Hutb had the better of matters, the Petone team managed to score a win by 3 points' to 2. Considering Hutt played with only eleven men up to half-time, the performance of the team was very meritorious, and they were unlucky in losing the game. Nevertheless, it looks as if the unbeaten Petone team will weather this season in comfort, defying all teams to lower their colours.

City and Newtown fought out a hard game at Emerson street, and the Wellington South team were able to register a win, scoring 7 points to their .opponents' 2. The game throughout was very fast and always interesting to the onlookers. There were at times flashes of. League football as it should be played, and it says much for the coaches of the various teams this season to see the code at such a high standard; •

In the junior grade all teams played well. Rovers A and B teams are firstclass combinations, and it is rumoured that, the Rovers B team are going up to senior next season. So far this season thfty have hot lost a match. It is to be hoped they make good in senior football. South, City, Central, and Newtown are all improved teams. The fifth-grade b,oys are showing good form, and .there is some fine football talent among the players. Notes on tho fifth-grade players will be found in these columns in the course of a week or GO. | WITH THE PLAYERS. j W. Taylor turned out for Hutt last. Saturday arid showed that! he has not lost any knowledge of the game, seeing that it was his first game this season. He makes a good five-eighths, and should bo heard of later in bigger football '

The Hutt half-baok last Saturday was anything but brilliant, but this writer understands a new mail has been 'secured for future matches, and that last Saturday's player will be given the chance to make good in some other dopartment of the team. Jack Hedges played his usual sound game for City last Saturday—always on the ball.

Smith played a safe game at fullback for Petone. He takes the ball weil.

Balks, Hiitt's full-back, played well, kicking a nice penalty goal. Riddell .was playing an off-side game last Saturday, but Referee Anderson was wide awake, and penalised him on several occasions.

A. Withey continues to play well at half for Newtown. He .is a safe and heady player.

T. Ryan was always in the limelight on the Petone wing, last Saturday. He is a good try-getter.

Rovers A team is composed mainly qt Maoris, a,nd they are all worth their places. They have a .good dash of speed, and are always looking for work. NOTES IN GENERAL. i Mr.' -Frank Smythe, mr/ager of the Marist Brothers' (Christchurch) teani, expressed his delight at the reception given by the patrons at Cferlaw Park. He stated that out of 200 members in Christchurch two only were still playing the Union game. Questioned as to the club's future, the popular manager stated the Mai'ist Brothers' Club -would not go back on their decision to break with the Canterbury Rugby Union. Mr. A. Buckland, of Petone, has been elected vice-chairman of the Wellington Rugby League Management Committee. Mr. Biickland has been a keen enthusiast for the code for a number of years, and is a hard worker for the League. Much criticism was heard in reference to the try City scored near the end of the game against Christchurch on Saturday week, last. As a matter of fact, it was the fairest .try scored. The obstruction rule provides for a freeI kick where trm ball lands, or should it go over the touch-line a kick opposite that mark. G. Davidson was. obstruct: ed after getting rid of the ball, and tlie line umpire, alive to his duties, promptly drew Mr. Murray's attention to the incident, and, seizing the ball, Davidson rail back to the mark, kicked quickly, and sent it on to Reed, who raced over to score.

Mike Fiynp can be considered a most unlucky player. The City full-back had the misfortune to again break his leg against Marist Brothers. Flynn had a like experience against Ponsonby last season, when he was laid aside for twelve weeks. Mike is very popular with his team-mates, who can be expected to assist him to their fullest extent.

The attendances at the League games on the West Coast, are ever oh the increase, and the code is now perhaps the strongest supported outdoor .gates among the miners and West Coasters generally. The Chfistcliurch Marisfc team were loud in their appreciation of the treatment meted out to them while in Auckland. The manager said that at organising the members of the Auckfand League were marvels and he said his club had learnt much. This is much merited tribute. Strange as it may appear, Marist were told many things intended to belittle the efforts of the Auckland League. One thing said was that senior League football was equal to third-grade Rugby. Well, it -sayssomething for the League players that they were, able to beat the champion Rugby team of Canterbury. Mr. H. Millard lias been appointed organiser and advance agent with respect to the forthcoming tour of the English team through New Zealand. Mr. Millard is a well-known pressman, and his .organising capabilities have been welj and favournbly exemplified in the matter of arranging ajl details of the Chinese Association footballers' successful lour through Australia last season League adherents throughout New Zealand can rest assured that their interests are in capable hands.

The Chfistcliurch League, since Marist turned over, has gone aheid wonderfully well, and reports to hand state they have a nose in front now as to attendance at club games. The spectacular code is at last making much-der served headway.

Despite the win of Auckland over the Australian 'Varsities team on the 4th inst., ,the Work of tho selectors has not met with unanimous approval, and it is contended that the team could have been improved npon. The inclusion of Garrett, at half-back, was strongly opposed, and" it must be said that his showing on Wednesday did not cause one to g<- into raptures (says the '"Auckland Star"). It -was his first representative game, and some allowance must be made, but even so, his passing was too erratic, and on numerous occasions, ho threw tho ball behind the five-eights, fivhig them no ehaiws of gathering $| In' it is yeuev&Uy ttdffliUsil tkat Jlig Sft ,

gue is badly in want of a first-class half, and some excuse can therefore be made if the selectors try a little experimenting. However, the absence of Brisbane from the team is difficult to understand, because his form this season has certainly been ahead of that of G. Davidson or Littlewood. If the selectors want to experiment, and they will have to do so before the Englishmen arrive, then they should try a player like Brisbane behind the pack. It is all very well to say that he has not occupied tlie position, but I fancy anyone would be inclined to admit that he is a better player than Garrett or Poison, in any position from hooker to full-back. His omission from the team is surprising on the form shown in club football. ' The fifteen thousand people who witnessed the Rugby. Leage game between the English team and a Victorian side were quite satisfied with the display of tho visitors. For their first game together, they showed wonderful combination, and, after they have played a fewmatches there is little doubt that the side will prove the contention that it is the strongest League team that has yet left England. Keen judges 'are of the opinion that Australia's best Test side will be faced with a difficult task in regaining the "Ashes." The exhibition of agility, quickness at picking up, and deft handling of the ball in (Wakeheld, Trinity), the English captain, moved the onlookers to enthusiastic applause. "He is wonderfully fast Nobody can. touch him," said a Sydney League official, who watched the match. Parkin, in an interviews spoke of Sullivan as a member of the team showing the greatest promise. The captain was enthusiastic about the side, and was looking, forward with hope to its succ.ess7ven ijb meetis New South Wales, Australia (Test), and Queensland. "It is the fastest team that has ever' left England," he said, "and the most versatile, lhe forwards are almost as fast a3 the men in the back division. Compared with the last English team which visited Australia, of . which he was a member, Parkin said he believed that the present representatives were considerably faster. Some of its young memoerß might lack the experience df several of the players in Wagstaffe's team, but this team was exceptionally well balanced, and possessed splendid combination. He was sanguine of victory when they were put to the test in the international games. Price (Wigan), who will play first in New South Wales, is of a build which does not suggest speed. He is another who provided a surprise when he commenced to move with the bail. B. Grohow (Hull) whose performances with the last team are remembered, is representative in build of many of the present visitors, who aro solidly proportioned, arid present a sturdy appearance. Their fieet?F S °£ thcS field wiUcorhe as a surprise Mr. Osbofiie, secretarial manager ■of the team, said that he had great hopes for the side s siiccees during the tour He thought T. Howsley (Wigan) and J. Emg (Wigan), the left-wing men, constituted a very strong point in the formation of the team. They were both fast, arid showed a perfect example of "team work." . He was surprised to see the. excellent display given by Burgess and Brqugh in practice, two men who had suffered a good deal of illness during the trip. They appeared in better form than some of the others who had been apparently fit all through. Speaking of a suggestion made by Mr. Austin Chapman and other speakers, at a reception at the Windsor Hotel, that visiting teams, should be subsidised, as they constituted such an excellent advertisemeri. for immigration, Mr. Osborne said he was pleasantly surprised to see that publio men were- taking such an interest in sport in Australia. He .had done a good deal to try and interest the authorities in that direction in England; a suggestion he hmde that there should be a Minister of Sport and Recreation causing a great deal of Press arid other continent. His slogan was thai the people's health • was the nation's -wealth; He had been successful in securing the favourable interest of Lord Loverhulme iri the matter, but it had been placed oh orie side, for a time at least; as it was stated by Government authorities to bo a. function which concerned the Health Ministry.

To say that discontent exists at the action of the New Zealand League in raising the tariff on the occasion of the matches against the Australian Universities from tlie usual-"bob" to eighteeripenc.e, and incidentally cancelling .the privileges of vice-president ticket h'blders, is to hit the nail right onth6 top. All the adverse criticism has been levfelled at the Auckland Rugby League, but this body is in no way responsible, and the visit of the Australians is controlled by the New Zealand League (states the "Auckland Star"). The public is liow wondering what the price of admission, will be when the Englishmen arrive arid take the field.